Who? Dan Keyes is Young Love. Young Love is Dan Keyes. He’s the frontman, the songwriter, the lyricist, and the electro-rock brain behind Young Love’s frantic style. His leadoff single “Discotech” has already been making rounds at New York and LA clubs, and is a healthy dose of Keyes’ sound: Part New York disco-punk, part West Coast post-emo-pop, with a touch of sensitive acoustic troubadour. Keyes spent time in Austin, TX band Recover, but despite a major label deal, he couldn’t wait to start making his own music. Seizing the opportunity of a free apartment in New York, Keyes moved east and, between bussing tables in packed midtown restaurants, began working on his own tunes.
What’s the Deal? Hard as it may be to believe when you hear the songs, Keyes wrote all the tracks on Young Love’s debut, Too Young To Fight It, on an acoustic guitar. The songs retain that guitar sound, but surround the gentle strums, single-note lines a la New Order, and power-chord choruses with huge washes of synthesizer dramatics and propulsive, club-ready beats. Keyes says half the songs on the album are about love, while the other half are about nightlife. “Nameless” is an epic, stirring tune tailor-made for a nice long drive, while “Find A New Way” strips away the sweeping keyboards for a Faint-like electro-rock stomper and “Underneath The Night Sky” is a slice of pure dance floor joy in the mold of Phoenix or Cut Copy.
Fun Fact: Music is definitely in the family for Keyes. “My godfather, Tony Peluso, played guitar in the Carpenters,” he told SPIN.com. Young Love, soft as an easy chair. J. GABRIEL BOYLAN
Now Hear This: Young Love � “Discotech” DOWNLOAD MP3
Talk: Is this really love? COMMENT
On the Web: thisisyounglove.com
